CN112334044B

CN112334044B - Refrigerated sales cabinet

Info

Publication number: CN112334044B
Application number: CN201880092299.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: M·潘策尔; T·布罗伊默
Original assignee: Carrier Corp
Current assignee: Carrier Corp
Priority date: 2018-04-12
Filing date: 2018-04-12
Publication date: 2022-09-13
Anticipated expiration: 2038-04-12
Also published as: WO2019197031A1; EP3773086B1; EP3773086A1; CN112334044A

Abstract

A refrigerated sales cabinet having: a cabinet (10) comprising a top portion (10b) and a bottom portion (10 a); an evaporator (12) arranged at the bottom portion (10 a); a condenser comprising a condenser fan arranged at the top portion (10 b); a drip collecting container (1) arranged at or below the bottom portion (10a) and configured to collect water from the interior of the cabinet (10); a steam conduit (6) leading from an inlet (6d) at the drip collection container (1) to an outlet at the top portion (10b), in particular close to the condenser fan; a heater (5) arranged within the drip collection container (1); an ambient air fan (3) arranged at the drip collecting container (1) and configured to: blowing ambient air through a portion of the drip collection receptacle (1) to entrain steam from the drip collection receptacle (1); and blowing the steam through a steam conduit (6).

Description

Refrigerated sales cabinet

The present invention relates to the reliable management and drainage of dripping water occurring inside the cabinet and at the evaporator of a refrigerated sales cabinet.

During normal operation of a refrigerated sales cabinet, condensate may form within the cabinet. Further, during a defrosting operation cycle of the evaporator, the melting water is generated. Such condensate and melt water collect as dripping water at the bottom portion of the cabinet. Mechanisms for draining such water drops into the environment outside the refrigerated sales cabinet have been developed, but these solutions do not work or are not suitable for refrigerated sales cabinets in which a condenser and a condenser fan are arranged on the top of the cabinet.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved refrigerated sales cabinet with a condenser and a condenser fan arranged at the cabinet top, which reliably drains collected dripping water, in particular condensate formed in the cabinet and melting water produced during defrosting of the evaporator.

A refrigerated sales cabinet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises: a cabinet comprising a top portion and a bottom portion; an evaporator disposed at the bottom portion; a condenser comprising a condenser fan disposed at the top portion; a drip collection receptacle disposed at or below the bottom portion and configured to collect water from an interior of the cabinet; a steam conduit leading from an inlet at the drip collection container to an outlet at the top portion; a heater disposed within the drip collection container; an ambient air fan disposed at the drip collection receptacle and configured to: blowing ambient air through at least a portion of the drip collection receptacle, thereby entraining steam from the drip collection receptacle; and blowing such steam through the steam conduit.

Such refrigerated sales cabinets reliably collect all the water droplets from within the cabinet body, in particular also from the evaporator, including the melt water produced during the defrosting operation of the evaporator and the condensate formed within the cabinet body during the normal cooling operation of the evaporator, in a drip collecting container arranged at and/or below the bottom portion of the cabinet body. The formation of mould or unpleasant odours, which may be caused by dripping water in the collecting tank body, is reliably avoided. Moreover, corrosion can be reliably prevented.

In order to drain the collected drip from the drip collection container, the following are provided: a steam conduit leading from an inlet at the drip collection receptacle to an outlet at the top portion proximate the condenser fan; a heater disposed within the drip collection container; and an ambient air fan disposed at the drip collection container.

The heater heats the water drops within the water drop collection container such that at least a portion of such water drops evaporate to form steam. An ambient air fan blows ambient air over at least a portion of the drip collection receptacle. The steam being formed and formed in the drip-collecting container is entrained by the ambient air and blown through the steam conduit.

The combination of such drip collection containers, such steam ducts, such heaters and such ambient air fans can also be retrofitted with existing refrigerated merchandisers to employ reliable drip management.

The steam conduit may in particular be formed as a sealed duct leading from an inlet at the drip collecting container to an outlet at the top portion close to the condenser fan.

If the outlet of the steam duct is close to the condenser fan, the condenser fan may be used to blow steam from the drip collection container into the environment outside the refrigerated sales cabinet. Thus, the condenser fan may have additional functions in addition to the function of blowing ambient air across the coils of the condenser.

If the velocity of the steam exiting the outlet of the steam duct has a certain exit velocity, there is no need to use a condenser fan to blow off such steam.

Although the refrigerated sales cabinet according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is suitable for all kinds of refrigerated sales cabinets employing a condenser and a condenser fan at the top portion thereof, it is particularly well suited for so-called plug-in refrigerated sales cabinets, in particular plug-in refrigerated sales freezers having a specific configuration comprising a compressor arranged at the top portion, wherein the compressor, the condenser, the expansion device and the evaporator are connected to form a vapour compression cycle.

The invention is particularly applicable to refrigerated sales cabinets of the type in which the compressor is not arranged at the bottom of the cabinet, but on top of the cabinet body, so that the heat of the compressor cannot be used to drain water drops from the bottom part of the refrigerated sales cabinet, or there is neither a hot air pipe nor a water pump in the compressor for evaporating such water drops.

The combination of the drip collection receptacle, the steam conduit, the heater and the ambient fan is very robust.

In operation of the refrigerated merchandiser, drip water collected within the drip collection container is heated by a heater such that at least a portion of the drip water evaporates to form steam. An ambient fan blows ambient air over at least a portion of the drip collection receptacle such that the ambient air entrains such vapors from the drip collection receptacle. Such steam is blown through the steam conduit. The steam exits the steam duct through an outlet at a top portion thereof, particularly near the condenser fan. A condenser fan may be used to blow such steam out into the environment outside the refrigerated sales cabinet.

The following embodiments and/or modifications may be combined with the above embodiments and/or modifications in any arrangement, as those skilled in the art will recognize that they are capable of cooperating with each other.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the condenser fan is configured to blow steam flowing out of the steam duct into the external environment. The condenser fan may have a rearward blowing direction, and the outlet of the steam duct may be located rearward of the condenser fan. Alternatively, the condenser fan may have a lateral blowing direction, and the outlet of the steam duct may be located beside the condenser fan. Of course, more than one condenser fan may be provided, and at least one of them may be configured as described above. With this embodiment, water drops can be removed from within the refrigerated merchandiser and steam generated from such water drops can be blown into the environment outside the refrigerated merchandiser using existing condenser fans.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the steam guide includes: a deep horizontal pipe extending from a lateral front end of the drip collection container to a rear of a bottom portion of the cabinet; and a vertical tube extending from the bottom portion to the top portion at the rear of the cabinet, wherein the deep horizontal tube is connected to the vertical tube in a sealed manner.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the steam guide includes: a deep horizontal pipe extending from a front end of the drip collection container to a rear of the bottom portion of the cabinet; a lateral horizontal tube extending laterally from a rear of the deep horizontal tube along a rear of the bottom portion of the cabinet; and a vertical tube extending from the bottom portion to the top portion at the rear of the cabinet, wherein the deep horizontal tube is connected to the lateral horizontal tube in a sealed manner, and wherein the lateral horizontal tube is connected to the vertical tube in a sealed manner.

In this context, the depth dimension is defined as the direction from the front of the refrigerated sales cabinet to the rear of the refrigerated sales cabinet, and the lateral direction is the direction perpendicular to the depth direction (from the left side of the refrigerated sales cabinet to the right side of the refrigerated sales cabinet) and perpendicular to the vertical direction (i.e. the height direction). A vertical direction is defined as the direction from the bottom portion to the top portion, i.e. the direction orthogonal to the floor or plane on which the refrigerated sales cabinet rests.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the steam guide includes: a depth level tube extending from a front end of the bottom portion to a rear portion of the bottom portion; and a first vertical tube extending from the bottom portion to the top portion at the rear of the cabinet.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the steam guide includes: a first lateral horizontal tube extending laterally from the rear of the bottom portion to a first vertical tube along the length of the rear of the cabinet; and optionally, a second vertical tube extending from the bottom portion to the top portion at the rear of the cabinet; and optionally, a second transverse horizontal tube extending transversely from the rear of the bottom portion to a second vertical tube along the rear.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the evaporator is arranged in a tray at the bottom portion of the cabinet above the drip collecting container.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet may further include: a drip guide connecting a lower region of the tray, particularly a lowermost point of the tray, to a drip collection container; and optionally a siphon arranged in the drip conduit.

By arranging the evaporator at a higher position than the drip-collecting container and/or by providing a drip-conduit connecting a lower region of the tray, in particular the lowest point within the tray, water generated during a defrosting operation of the evaporator, condensate formed within the refrigerated sales space of the refrigerated sales cabinet or within the tray at the bottom portion of the cabinet and water flowing or dripping from the refrigerated sales space to the tray at the bottom portion of the cabinet are reliably guided into the drip-collecting container by the action of gravity. By using a siphon, unpleasant odours can be avoided.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the drip collection container is fluidly sealed (i.e. closed), except for the drip conduit, the steam conduit and the opening for the ambient air fan. In particular, the drip collecting container may have a base portion made of a rust-resistant metal and a cover which may be made of a plastic material, with a seal provided therebetween. The drip tray may also be made entirely of plastic or metal. The passage from the inlet of the drip conduit, through the drip collection receptacle, to the point of outflow from the steam conduit is preferably fluidly sealed, which may help to avoid or limit corrosion, rusting and/or leakage.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the drip collection container comprises a closure cap comprising a steam tube, optionally having an inverted half-pipe shape, wherein the steam tube comprises a first end and a second end, the first end of the steam tube comprises an opening for an ambient air fan, which is mounted at the opening, and the second end of the steam tube is connected to the steam duct, in particular to a deep horizontal tube of the steam duct, in a sealed manner, more particularly using a tube connection element bent in a rearward direction. The steam tube is preferably integral with the closure so as to reduce the point of rupture from which liquid or steam may accidentally escape. The cover and base of the drip collection container may also be integral, but preferably are not so integral so as to provide easier access to the interior of the drip collection container for servicing.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the refrigerated sales cabinet may be one in which the first end of the steam pipe has a flat, inclined shaped portion in which an opening for the ambient air fan is arranged, and wherein the ambient air fan is mounted at the opening to have an inclined orientation with respect to a horizontal plane such that ambient air is blown towards the second end of the steam pipe and towards the steam duct. The angle of inclination with respect to the horizontal may be in the range of 30 ° to 60 °, specifically 35 ° to 55 °, more specifically 45 °, but the desired angle may depend on the shape of the drip water collecting container and/or the liquid capacity and/or the location and area of the liquid surface exposure.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the drip collection container comprises a closure cap comprising a steam tube extending laterally along at least 50%, in particular at least 75%, more in particular at least 85% of the width of the drip collection container. The length and shape of the steam tube may be adjusted as desired to maximize and/or optimize the steam generated by the drip water collected in the drip water collection container. The length of the steam pipe may correspond to the length of the heater.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the heater extends laterally along at least 70%, in particular at least 85%, more in particular at least 90% of the width of the bottom portion of the drip collecting container. The heater is configured such that it is in contact with the water drop, which will be heated by the heater.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the heater includes or is formed as a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater configured such that its resistivity rapidly increases to a constant temperature as the temperature increases. The heater may optionally comprise a PTC ceramic, a PTC rubber or a combination of two or more of any of them, in particular a doped silicone rubber, wherein the dopant may be a metal powder, a conductive plated powder, carbon (nano) particles and/or an inert inorganic filler such as barium titanate. PTC heaters have the advantage of quickly reaching the desired temperature and then maintaining a steady level at that temperature, thereby avoiding heating runaway and other problems. The material used in the PCT heater is not particularly limited, but a desired temperature is generally in the range of 30 ℃ to 200 ℃, specifically 60 ℃ to 120 ℃ or 65 ℃ to 90 ℃.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the cabinet may further comprise a control unit configured to switch off the heater if the ambient air fan is not operating or malfunctioning. Advantageously, the control unit may monitor the status of the ambient air fan and, in the event that the ambient air fan is shut down, damaged or otherwise malfunctioning, shut down the heater and/or signal maintenance personnel as appropriate. The control unit may or may not monitor the condenser fan based on the electrical signal and/or based on the temperature to detect the status of the condenser fan.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the droplet collecting container may further include: a float configured to sense and/or signal a water level within the drip collection container; and a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to switch off the heater and/or the ambient air fan if the sensed water level falls below a predetermined threshold. The heater and the ambient air fan are operable only when at least a certain amount of water drops are present in the water drop collecting container. This saves energy and avoids overheating of the heater.

Advantageously, the measurement and/or monitoring of the amount of liquid water in the drip collection container may allow a user to switch between heating and non-operation as desired, thereby saving energy.

Hereinafter, a refrigerated sales cabinet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a top left front perspective view of a refrigerated sales cabinet comprising a drip management system, wherein a top section, a bottom section and a rear wall are presented transparently.

Figure 2 shows a mirror-image, upper right front perspective view of the refrigerated sales cabinet of figure 1, wherein the steam duct of the refrigerated sales cabinet is adapted such that it further comprises transverse horizontal tube sections.

Figure 3 shows a top right rear perspective view of the refrigerated sales cabinet of figure 1.

Figure 4 shows a left front view of the refrigerated sales cabinet of figure 1.

Figure 5 shows an enlarged simplified right front view of the drip management system of the refrigerated sales cabinet of figure 1.

Figure 6 shows an enlarged front elevational view of the drip guide of the refrigerated sales cabinet of figure 1.

Fig. 7 shows an enlarged front elevation view of the drip management system of the refrigerated sales cabinet of fig. 1, wherein the steam duct is incomplete and the walls of the drip collection container are presented transparently.

Fig. 8 shows an enlarged, upper left front perspective view of the drip management system of the refrigerated sales cabinet of fig. 1, wherein the steam conduit is incomplete and free of ambient conditions.

Fig. 9 shows an enlarged, upper right rear perspective view of the drip management system of the refrigerated merchandiser of fig. 1, wherein the steam conduit is incomplete and free of ambient conditions.

Figure 10 shows an enlarged top left front perspective view of the drip management system of the refrigerated sales cabinet of figure 1, wherein the steam duct is incomplete and free of the ambient environment, wherein the ambient air fan is formed as a radial fan.

Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 depict the refrigerated sales cabinet from different angles.

The refrigerated merchandiser is of the front entry type and may or may not have a door in the front. The refrigerated sales cabinet may be a freezer cabinet providing a freezing temperature within the refrigerated sales space and comprising a door (not shown) at the front. A refrigerated sales cabinet may also be a cabinet providing a cooling temperature above 0 ℃ in a refrigerated sales space and having no doors at the front (as shown). In the drawings, the side walls are omitted for illustrative purposes.

As shown in fig. 1, the cabinet of a refrigerated sales cabinet comprises a substantially horizontal bottom portion 10a and a top portion 10b and a rear wall 10c connecting the rear ends of the bottom portion 10a and the top portion 10 b. The bottom and

top portions

10a, 10b, the rear wall 10c and the side walls (not shown), and optionally a door (not shown) disposed in front, enclose a refrigerated sales space in which refrigerated goods to be sold are supported and displayed (e.g., on shelves (not shown)).

The refrigerated sales cabinet of the embodiment of the present invention is a so-called plug-in type, in which all necessary elements of the vapour compression cycle are included.

As can be seen in fig. 1, a unit 11 comprising a compressor, a condenser and a condenser fan is arranged at or on top of the top part 10 b. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the evaporator 12 and the expansion device connected upstream thereof are arranged in the bottom portion 10a, in particular in the tray 7 arranged in the bottom portion 10 a.

The refrigerated merchandiser illustrates a drip management system including: a drip collecting receptacle 1 disposed below the bottom portion 10 a; a steam guide pipe including a vertical pipe 6a and a vertical pipe 6 b; a heater 5 disposed inside the drip water collecting container 1 (see fig. 5); and an ambient air fan 3 arranged at the drip collecting container 1 (see fig. 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9).

The drip management system collects drip water in the drip collecting container 1.

The heater 5 heats the water drops within the water drop collecting container 1 such that at least a portion of such water drops evaporates to form steam. An ambient air fan 3 blows ambient air over at least a part of the drip collecting container 1. The steam being formed and already formed in the drip collecting container 1 is entrained by the ambient air and blown through the steam duct 6, so that the steam flows out of the steam duct 6 at the upper end of the steam duct 6. A condenser fan may be used to blow the steam into the external environment.

As can be seen in fig. 3, the drip collecting container 1 and the deep horizontal tube 6b of the steam duct 6 are arranged below the bottom portion 10a of the cabinet. The vertical tubes 6a of the steam guide 6 are arranged behind the rear wall 10 c. This makes it possible to add these elements to an existing refrigerated sales cabinet.

In this embodiment, the vertical tubes 6a of the steam duct 6 extend between the bottom and top portions of the cabinet and parallel to the rear wall 10 c. The horizontal tubes 6b of the steam guide 6 extend from the front to the rear of the bottom portion 10a of the cabinet, perpendicular to the vertical tubes 6 a.

As shown in fig. 2, the steam duct 6 comprises an additional component, namely a transverse horizontal duct 6c, which allows to place the vertical duct 6a in different transverse positions behind the rear wall 10c of the cabinet.

Adjacent tube elements of the steam conduit are connected by suitable sealing connection elements. Furthermore, the

tubes

6a, 6b and 6c (fig. 2) may be fastened to the cabinet by suitable fixing means.

As shown in fig. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the refrigerated sales cabinet further comprises a stand (not shown) providing a suitable vertical space below the bottom portion 10a of the refrigerated sales cabinet in which the drip collection container 1 can be positioned.

Additional vertical tubes 6a along the single transverse horizontal tube 6c are also possible, as circumstances require. However, a single vertical tube 6a is generally sufficient, and a steam conduit as short as possible will generally improve the evacuation of steam from the drip collection container 1.

Fig. 4 shows the position of the steam duct as viewed from the left side of the cabinet 10.

In fig. 4, a tray 7 is shown in a bottom part 10a, in which tray 7 an evaporator 12 is arranged. The tray 7 is located below the refrigerated sales space.

Furthermore, a drip conduit 2 is shown, which connects the lowest point of the tray 7 to the drip collecting container 1. A siphon may be arranged as part of the drip conduit 2. Such a siphon avoids a direct air connection between the refrigerated sales space and the drip collecting container 1. An unpleasant smell cannot be emitted from the drip water collecting container 1. Further, as shown in fig. 4, an ambient air fan 3 is arranged at the drip water collecting container 1.

As can be seen in fig. 5 to 9, the drip collection container 1 includes a closure cap 1b in which a steam pipe 4 having an inverted semi-tubular shape is formed, the steam pipe 4 including a first end 4a and a second end 4 b. An opening is formed in the inclined end portion at the first end 4a of the steam pipe 4 on which the ambient air fan 3 is mounted. With such an inclined orientation of the ambient air fan 3, ambient air drawn in from the environment by the ambient air fan 3 is effectively blown towards the second end 4b of the steam pipe 4.

The horizontal tube 6b is connected to the second end 4b of the steam tube 4 by means of a bent tube connecting element, while the connection is preferably sealed.

In this embodiment, the drip collection container 1 is located at the front of the cabinet 10, below the bottom portion 10a of the cabinet 10. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, combinations, sub-combinations or equivalent arrangements of the drip collection container 1. For example, as seen in fig. 4, in the depicted case, a forward inclination of the bottom portion 10a of the cabinet 10 requires a forward displacement of the drip collection container 1, but an opposite inclination requires a rearward displacement of the drip collection container 1.

Fig. 5 shows a simplified side view of the drip collecting container 1 with the environment where the bottom portion 10a of the cabinet 10 comprises the tray 7. As depicted, the base 1a of the drip collection container 1 may be equally inclined and the heater 5 may be arranged close to a corner or edge of such inclined base 1. This ensures that the heater 5 is surrounded by dripping water as long as the water level exceeds a predetermined threshold and overheating of the heater 5 is avoided. This improves the efficiency of the heater 5. The heater 5 may be arranged below the steam pipe 4 such that steam is generated within the steam pipe 4 and is entrained by ambient air. The predetermined water level threshold may for example be defined by the position of the heater 5 above the lowest point within the drip collecting container 1.

Although fig. 5 shows the steam pipe 4 arranged in front of the drip conduit 2, one or more steam pipes 4 may also be arranged behind the drip conduit 2. The steam pipe 4 may be integrated with the cover 1b of the drip collection container 1. An ambient air fan 3 introduces ambient air, which is usually warm and uncooled, into the drip collecting container 1. The cover 1b and the base 1a of the drip collecting container 1 are preferably fluid tight, except for the drip guide 2, the steam guide 6 and the opening for the ambient air fan 3.

Fig. 6 shows an enlarged front view of the drip guide 2, the inlet 2a of the drip guide 2 generally being connected to the bottom portion 10a of the cabinet 10 or to a tray 7 arranged at or in the bottom portion 10 a. The outlet 2b of the drip guide pipe enters the drip collecting container 1, and the condensate and/or the melting water from the cabinet 10 and the evaporator 12 is introduced into the drip collecting container 1 to be evaporated and emptied through the steam guide pipe 6.

Fig. 7 shows a transparent view of an exemplary drip collection container 1, wherein an ambient air fan 3 is mounted on an inclined first end portion 4a of a steam tube 4 forming part of a closure 1b of the drip collection container 1.

A heater 5 (here in the form of a cylinder) extends laterally within the drip collecting container 1 and is in direct contact with the water collected in the drip collecting container 1 in order to heat, evaporate and discharge the drip as steam back into the environment.

The steam conduit 6 (specifically, the horizontal tube 6b) is connected with its steam conduit inlet 6d to a second end 4b of the steam tube 4, which is opposite to the first end 4a where the ambient air fan 3 is arranged.

In fig. 8 and 9, the drip management system is separated, has opaque walls, and partly presents the vertical tube 6a of the steam duct 6. As in the other figures, fig. 8 and 9 show the relationship of the drip guide 2, which receives condensate and/or melt water from the cabinet 10 (not shown) and/or the tray 7 and guides the condensate and/or melt water into the drip collection container 1.

As seen in fig. 8 and 9, the ambient air fan 3, the steam pipe 4 and the inlet 6d of the steam duct 6 may be arranged on the first third (or fourth) of the cover 1b of the drip collection container 1. The ambient air fan 3, the steam pipe 4 and the inlet 6d are linearly oriented with respect to each other. Additionally, although not shown, the steam tube 4 may be curved or otherwise curved as desired, although a linear arrangement is generally considered most effective.

In the embodiment of fig. 10, the drip collecting container 1 (including its steam pipe 4, drip conduit 2) and steam conduit 6 (including its inlet 6d, depth horizontal pipe 6b and vertical pipe 6a) correspond to the corresponding elements of fig. 8.

However, in this embodiment, as shown in fig. 4 to 9, the ambient air fan 3 is not formed as an axial fan, but as a radial fan, drawing ambient air through the central upper opening and blowing it radially into the drip collection container 1, in particular into the steam pipe 4, through its radially outer outlet opening. The first end 4a of the steam pipe 4 is vertically oriented. The ambient air fan 3 is mounted to the cover 1b of the drip collection container 1 such that its bottom is oriented horizontally and the radially outer outlet of the ambient air fan 3 and the first end 4a of the steam tube 4 are aligned with each other and form a steam-tight connection.

During normal operation of the refrigerated sales cabinet, water (including condensate formed within the refrigerated sales space or within the tray 7 of the cabinet, in particular at the evaporator 12) is guided by gravity through the drip conduit 2 into the drip collection container 1.

Also, during the defrosting operation of the evaporator 12, the melt water is guided into the drip collection container 1 through the drip guide 2.

The heater 5 heats the dropping water collected in the collecting container 1. The ambient air fan 3 blows ambient air from outside the drip collecting container 1 into its interior and through a part of the drip collecting container 1, in particular through the interior of the steam tube 4 from its first end 4a to its second end 4 b. Such ambient air entrains steam from the drip collection container 1 and blows such steam through the steam conduit 6, in particular through the inlet 6d, through its deep horizontal tube 6b, optionally through its lateral horizontal tube 6c (fig. 2) and through its vertical tube 6 a. The steam flows out of the steam conduit 6, in particular out of the vertical tubes 6a at the upper ends of the vertical tubes 6a, see fig. 1, 2, 3 and 4. The condenser fan may blow such steam into the external environment.

While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

List of reference numerals

1 drip collecting container

1a base of drip collecting container

1b cover of drip collecting container

2 drip guide

2a inlet of drip guide

2b outlet of drip guide

3 ambient air fan

4 steam pipe

First end of 4a steam pipe

4b second end of steam pipe

5 Heater

6 steam conduit

Vertical tube of 6a steam conduit

6b deep horizontal pipe of steam conduit

Horizontal tube of 6c steam guide tube

6d steam conduit inlet

7 cabinet tray

10 cabinet body

10a bottom portion of the cabinet

10b Top portion of Cabinet

10c rear wall of cabinet

11 units

12 evaporator

Claims

1. A refrigerated sales cabinet comprises

A cabinet (10) having a top portion (10b) and a bottom portion (10 a);

an evaporator (12) arranged at the bottom portion (10 a);

a condenser comprising a condenser fan arranged at the top portion (10 b);

a drip water collecting container (1) arranged at or below the bottom portion (10a) and configured to collect water from the interior of the cabinet (10);

a steam conduit (6) leading from an inlet (6d) at the drip collection container (1) to an outlet at the top portion (10b), in particular close to the condenser fan;

a heater (5) arranged within the drip collection container (1); and

an ambient air fan (3) arranged at the drip collecting container (1) and configured to: blowing ambient air through at least a portion of the drip collection receptacle (1) thereby entraining steam from the drip collection receptacle (1); and blowing the steam through the steam conduit (6).

2. The refrigerated merchandiser of claim 1, further comprising

An expansion device arranged at the bottom portion (10a),

and/or

A compressor arranged at the top portion (10b),

wherein the compressor, the condenser, the expansion device and the evaporator (12) are connected to form a vapor compression cycle.

3. Refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 1 or 2, wherein the condenser fan is configured to blow steam flowing out of the steam duct (6) into an external environment; and/or

Wherein the condenser fan has a rearward blowing direction and the outlet of the steam duct (6) is located behind the condenser fan, or has a lateral blowing direction and the outlet of the steam duct is located beside the condenser fan.

4. Refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 1 or 2, wherein the steam conduit (6) comprises

A horizontal tube (6b) extending from a front end of the drip collecting container (1) to a rear of the bottom portion (10a) of the cabinet (10), and

a vertical tube (6a) extending from the bottom portion (10a) to the top portion (10b) at the rear of the cabinet (10), and

wherein the horizontal tube (6b) is connected to the vertical tube (6a) in a sealed manner.

5. Refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 1 or 2, wherein the steam conduit (6) comprises

A horizontal pipe (6b) extending from a front end of the drip collection container (1) to a rear of the bottom portion (10a) of the cabinet (10),

a transverse horizontal duct (6c) extending transversely from the rear of the horizontal duct (6b) along the rear of the bottom portion (10a) of the cabinet (10); and

a vertical tube (6a) extending from the bottom portion (10a) to the top portion (10b) at the rear of the cabinet (10),

wherein the horizontal tube (6b) is connected to the transverse horizontal tube (6c) in a sealed manner, and

wherein the transverse horizontal tube (6c) is connected to the vertical tube (6a) in a sealed manner.

6. Refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 1 or 2, wherein the evaporator (12) is arranged in the tray (7) at the bottom portion (10a) of the cabinet (10) above the drip collecting container (1).

7. The refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 6, further comprising:

a drip conduit (2) connecting a lower region of the tray (7), in particular a lowest point of the tray (7), to the drip collecting container (1).

8. Refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 1 or 2, wherein the drip collecting container (1) is fluidly sealed except for a drip duct (2), the steam duct (6) and an opening for the ambient air fan (3).

9. Refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 1 or 2,

wherein the drip collection container (1) comprises a closure cap (1b) comprising a steam tube (4), optionally having an inverted half-tube shape,

wherein the steam pipe (4) comprises a first end (4a) and a second end (4b),

wherein the first end (4a) of the steam pipe (4) comprises an opening for the ambient air fan (3), the ambient air fan (3) being mounted at the opening,

wherein the second end (4b) of the steam pipe (4) is connected to the steam conduit (6), in particular to a horizontal pipe (6b) of the steam conduit (6), in a sealed manner, more particularly by means of a pipe connection element.

10. The refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 9,

wherein the first end (4a) of the steam pipe (4) includes a flat inclined shape portion,

wherein the opening for the ambient air fan (3) is arranged within the flat, obliquely shaped portion, and

wherein the ambient air fan (3) is mounted at the opening to have an inclined orientation with respect to a horizontal plane such that the ambient air is blown towards the second end (4b) of the steam pipe (4) and towards the steam duct (6).

11. Refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 1 or 2, wherein the drip collection container (1) comprises a lid (1b) comprising a steam tube (4) extending laterally along at least 50%, in particular at least 75%, more in particular at least 85% of the width of the drip collection container (1).

12. Refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 1 or 2, wherein the heater (5) extends laterally along at least 70%, particularly at least 85%, more particularly at least 90% of the width of the bottom portion of the drip collection container (1).

13. Refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 1 or 2, wherein the heater (5) is a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater configured such that its resistivity increases rapidly with increasing temperature to a constant temperature.

14. The refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

a control unit configured to switch off the heater (5) if the ambient air fan (3) is not operating or malfunctioning

And/or

Wherein the drip collecting container (1) further comprises

A float configured to sense and/or signal a water level within the drip collecting container (1), an

A control unit configured to switch off the heater (5) and/or the ambient air fan (3) if the sensed water level falls below a predetermined threshold, the control unit optionally being an integrated or the same device as the control unit.

15. The refrigerated sales cabinet of claim 7, further comprising:

a siphon arranged in the drip duct (2).